As Sydney’s LGBTQ community celebrated Mardi Gras, one community in Sydney’s West was promoting the sanctity of marriage with the launch of a Catholic singles night on 28 February.
Held under warmly-lit marquees on the grounds of St Christopher’s Holsworthy, The Ark Social brought even numbers of men and women from across the 21–35-year-old age bracket together for a night of intentional conversations with other like-minded Catholics seeking a future spouse.
The evening included live music from local singer Chris Keryakos, canapes, a cocktail bar and structured formalities which encouraged meaningful interaction amongst all the participants.
“I really enjoyed the event”, said one male participant.
“It was a vibe, cool setting and the live music just added that special touch.
“It was well organised and such a welcoming environment that did not make me feel out of place to express my faith and my intention to connect.”
One of the female participants noted that although she was really worried about it being a bit awkward, the night was “super relaxed” and “really fun”.
“The first Ark night was awesome”, said the female participant.
“I got a chance to meet lots of great people who were also in the same stage of life as myself.
“The cocktail bar was also a great addition!
“Looking forward to the next one.”
An invitation to submit the name of someone who one would like to see again before the end of the night resulted in a number of matches.
Those who matched were later contacted by the organisers and given a gift card for a dinner to encourage a future first date.
Pleased with the outcome of the night, The Ark organisers learned a lot from the way the attendees responded and are already making slight changes to ensure the best event for intentional Catholic singles looking forward to a vocation of marriage.
“We were nervous at the start, not knowing how quickly the men and women would engage in conversation, but was thrilled when it occurred both instantly and organically at the beginning of the night’s formalities,” said Alison De Sousa, one of the organisers of The Ark.
“They were all engaged in mixed groups, and we were so happy to see them approaching one another courageously and with intention.
“We had some great feedback, throughout and after the event, and we will be looking and fine tuning the format, group sizes and venue to better facilitate the needs of these young Catholics.”
Register for the next Ark Social in April via https://events.humanitix.com/the-ark-saturday-singles-social-april-2026.
Young intentional Catholics can keep up to date by following @theark.sydney on Instagram and Facebook.
